US Catholics protest as Harvard University plans Satanic Mass

Harvard University is going forward with a presentation of a Satanic Black Mass on its campus in the name of academic freedom, even as Catholics vehemently protest that the “historical re-enactment” of Satan worship denigrates Catholic practice and belief and promotes evil.

The Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club has teamed up with The Satanic Temple to re-enact a “Black Mass” on May 12 at 8:30pm at the Queen’s Head Pub, in Memorial Hall, with “commentary and historical context” provided by some of the Temple’s atheistic Satanists.

“It’s disturbing,” said Father Michael Drea, senior chaplain of the Harvard Catholic chaplaincy. “The unfortunate thing is that this is being allowed [by the university] to go forward under the guise of academic freedom without a real sense of respect for the dignity of the Catholic faith.”

The Archdiocese of Boston in a statement expressed its “deep sadness and strong opposition” to the plans for Monday’s Black Mass, calling it “dangerous” and asking Harvard University to condemn the event.

“For the good of the Catholic faithful and all people, the Church provides clear teaching concerning Satanic worship,” the archdiocese said.

“This activity separates people from God and the human community, it is contrary to charity and goodness, and it places participants dangerously close to destructive works of evil.”

The archdiocese added that Pope Francis himself recently “warned of the danger of being naïve about or underestimating the power of Satan, whose evil is too often tragically present in our midst.”

The Black Mass is an ironic first for Harvard, an institution originally founded by Puritans as a divinity school in 1638. Despite requests from Catholics to rescind permission for the club to re-enact the Black Mass, Harvard University has shown no indication of interfering.

A press release from the Harvard Extension School said it “support[s] the rights of our students and faculty to speak and assemble freely” without endorsing the “views or activities of any independent student organization.”